From quilting (1991), "wild blessings" Summary

This is a poem about understanding. One day, a woman licks the poet's palm of her hand. The experience brings to mind all the "hand" experiences that the poet has had, holding the hands of many people and thus understanding them. She has held the hand of child abusers, suicides, junkie priests, soldiers who destroyed their lives by killing innocent people, including women that seemed just like their mothers, and many more. The person that licks the poet's hand brings to mind all these things, and although the poet is grateful for many of her blessings, she feels not necessarily grateful for her deep understanding of the terrible things she has understood about others.

From quilting (1991), "wild blessings" Analysis

This poem infers the poet's ability to deeply intuit others' experiences. Holding people's hands...